I start my day by attending planning meeting in the news room with my colleagues. It is only after that meeting someone knows what he or she will be covering for the day. The editor asks me if I have something in hand for the day and I respond “no”. Ok, go and cover the parliament proceedings.
At the parliament, I spend between 30 and 45 minutes going through security checks and feeling the forms to get registered. Then I take a seat in the cabins especially designated for the press. Untill then, I have no clue of the agenda. Lack of specialization? Shortage of staff? I do not know the answer, but that is the way we do things here. A reporter is expected to cover whatever issue and sometimes subjects he has never heard of.
Now I know the issues on the agenda and I am looking forward to hear some heated debates that can give me a chance of writing something interesting. But after hours seating and listening to the debates my frustration gets even worse. The notions of opposition the MPs hold is that of saying “no” whenever the rulling bench says or is perceived to be saying “yes”. No matter what is being discussed. This also applies to the MPs of the rulling party.
It is a breach. I mingle among the MPs hoping to create some sort of a “source” that can give me substance.
Everyone is eager to gossip about the colleagues on the opposite side but not about the issues. All parties have the same excuse: “party discipline”. It sounds true because we elect lists of people not people. But as I insist, another true emerges. They do not read the massive documents that are printed for every session and, those who read do not understand the issues.
How do I get copies of the documents if everyone has the power to declare them “secret”. The only way is to approach those who do not read and see if I can get a copy. It is the opposite, Those who do not read the documents consider everything secret even the budge with their names. So, it is not surprising that most of the stories we write are about the agenda and not the issues.
2 comments:
Well, let me say first that this text is not mine is from my colleague and it is a result of his training in parlamentary journalism that he attended recently. And i thought it would be better to share it with you all so that you may have a notion what is to be beginner journalist really. Please, i hope you say something about this, I have done my part.
Well, let me say first that this text is not mine is from my colleague and it is a result of his training in parlamentary journalism that he attended recently. And i thought it would be better to share it with you all so that you may have a notion what is to be beginner journalist really. Please, i hope you say something about this, I have done my part.
Post a Comment